Display device



March 30, 1943. s. G. AsHENBl-:RG ET AL v 2,315,240

" DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Nov. 16, 194D INVENTORS STUART 6. ASHE/VBERGLEROB);r J. SCHWENKME YER TTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 30, 1943 DISPLAY DEVICE stuart G.. Ashenterg and Le Roy J.schwenklmeyer,` San Diego, Calif.

Application November 16, 1946, serial Nofasasso 4 clanes. (ci. 11o-126)Our inventionrelates to display devices, and its objects are to afford anvel means for advertising merchandise, to produce an amusement devicefor mystication and amusement of all, and to o create and extendinterest in physical, scientic and educational matter and phenomena.Other objects will appear as illustrated in the drawing and ashereinafter described and claimed.

Attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawing', illustratingva preferred form of our invention, in which similar numerals ofdesignation refer to similar parts throughout the several views, and inwhich:

Figure 1 isA a view of bodying our invention; i

Fig. 2 is a View in inverted position of the opposite side of saidplacard;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of said placard taken through thereceptacles and passageway located therein; and

Fig. 4 is a section of said placard on line 4 4 of Fig. 3, looking inthe direction of the arrows and showing in detail the receptacles andconnecting passageway and location thereof.

Referring to the drawing, we provide the placard, plaque or slab 5 withtwo pictorial sides 6 and 1, each of which as shown is placed ininverted position in respect to the other, the said placard beinghollowed out or channelled to receive the bottle shaped receptacles 8and 9 and the conduit passageway I connecting the same. Prior toassembling the said receptacles and conduit, we introduce within one ofthe receptacles a quantity of some freely owing fluid, such as fine sandor powder or colored liquid, which will readily pass by reason ofgravity from one receptacle to the other through the connectingpassageway when the placard is in one of the positions shown in Fig. 1or 2 of the drawing. Each of said receptacles is made of transparentmaterial or constructed with a transparent side in order that the fluidtherein may be observed, and openings or windows in the side of eachplacard are provided so that the uppermost receptacle can be clearlyexposed.

In Fig. 1, we have illustrated on one side of the placard 5, a View of amale person with receptacle 8 in the form of a bottle tilted to hislips; the fluid I I in such bottle apparently being shown in the act offlowing down through the neck of the bottle into the mouth of suchperson; the conduit I0 and the receptacle 9 in this view being hiddenfrom sight. In Fig. 2, we have shown the opposite side of the placard 5in a position which is inverted to that of Fig. 1, a female gure beingone side of a placard emdelineated and the bottle 9 with contents l2being shown tilted to her lips instead of bottle 8 which is covered fromsight. In each of said views, the side of the uppermost bottle is madetransparent to expose itsn contents, and is in such raised position asto cause the fluid therein to flow downwardly through the conduit I 0into the bottle below, both of which are covered by the wall of theplacard 5.

As will be observed from the drawing, the bottle shaped receptacles 3and 9 are each positioned at or near one corner of the placard 5, andtogether with the conduit passageway I0 are symmetrically disposedwithin said placard and extend diagonally across the same, so that eachof said receptacles is always located so as to discharge in the generaldirection of the other and is always exposed through the openingprovided therefor at the same degree of angular inclination adjacent toone of the upper corners 'of the placard.

To operate our improved device, the placard 5 is rst placed in uprightposition until one of the bottle receptacles 8 or 9 is filled withfluid. Then upon reversing the position of said placard so that the lledbottle is disposed in one of the inverted positions shown in Figs. 1 or2, the fluid will appear to flow into the mouth of the person depictedand to vanish from sight. After such fluid has emptied from the bottleand has by reason of gravity passed down through the connectingpassageway to the other bottle and lled the same. The placard 5 mayagain be reversed so as to bring such other bottle to the top, and theoperation may be repeated with the other depicted person.

While we have described our invention as incorporated in a placard suchas that shown in the drawing, oui` arrangement of revealed and concealedreceptacles with concealed connecting passageway could, as is obvious,be employed in other constructions in which the same optical illusioncould be brought about. The present embodiment of our invention istherefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, the scope of our invention being indicated by the appendedclaims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes whichcome within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims areconsequently intended to be embraced therein.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a display device, the combination of a placard, said placardhaving displayed upon each side thereof the face of an animate object inthe attitude of drinking, two drinking receptacles incorporated in saidplacard and each being positioned to discharge its contents toward theother, one of said receptacles being transparent only on one side ofsaid placard and the other receptacle being transparent only onthe otherside of said placard and each of said receptacles being shown ininverted position for apparently emptying its contents into the mouth ofone of said animate objects, a concealed conduit within said placardconnecting the mouths of said receptacles, and a single mass of fluidfreely moving through gravity within and from one of said receptaclesthrough said conduit t0 the other when said placard isvin t uprightposition and simulating the drinking o said uid by one of said animateobjects.

' l l the drinking of said ilud by one of said animate 2. In a displaydevice, the combinationof va placard, each side of said placard havingdisf played thereon the pictorial representation 'of the face of ananimate figure with its mouth open the act of drinking, two drinkingreceptacles connected by aconduit incorporated in'said placard andsymmetrically disposed within and extending diagonallyacross the same,one of said receptacles being transparent only on one side of saidplacard and the other receptacle being transparent only onthe other sideof, saidjplacard, a single mass of fluid freely passing by gravity fromwithin one receptacle'through said conduit to theother, the mouth ofeach receptacle being shown in inverted position adjacent to thel mouthof one of said figures and creating the appearance of drinking 4whensaid placardis placed in position to cause the passage of said fluidl asaforesaid.

' 3.1m' a display device, the combination of a placard; said placardhaving displayed upon `each vside thereof inreversed position `totheother the upturned-face-of` an animate object in the attitude ofdrinking, two bottle shapedl receptacles incorporatedin Vsaid placard,one' of vsaid ret objects.

4;In a display device, the combination of a placard constructed to benormally disposed in uprightf'position, said placard having displayedupon each the frontl and back thereof in inverted position one to theother the upturned face of an animate object in the attitude ofdrinking, two bottle shaped receptacles incorporated in said placard,each receptacle being located near one corner thereof oppositeto theother, each being positioned to discharge its contents in the generaldirection of the other and one of said receptacles being4 transparentonly on one side of said placard Iand jthe other receptaclebeingtransparent only on the other side of said placard and each of saidreceptacles being shown in Ainverted position for apparently emptyingits contents into the mouth 'of oneof, said animate objects, a concealedconduit within said placard connecting the mouths of said lreceptaclesand'forming therewith a continuous passageway, and a single mass offluid freely moving through gravity from one receptacle to the otherthrough saidpassageway, and when so movingsimulatinglthe drinking ofsaid uid by one of said animate objects.

- STUART G. ASHENBERG.

LE ROYA J. SCHWENKMEYER.

